


Safe In This Nightmare

by PrintDust



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2059083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrintDust/pseuds/PrintDust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lori snapped awake- her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She looked around the cell she shared with Carol for any sign that the nightmare that had ejected her from her sleep was real. The sound of blood rushing in her ears was the only sound that she could pick out in the sleeping prison.</p><p>Her hand drifted to her belly where the baby was moving lazily, still safely protected inside it's mother. She collapsed onto her pillow and turned onto her back, her hand moving in a circular motion in an attempt to quiet the baby. Her mind involuntarily recalled the images from her dream.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe In This Nightmare

Lori snapped awake- her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She looked around the cell she shared with Carol for any sign that the nightmare that had ejected her from her sleep was real. The sound of blood rushing in her ears was the only sound that she could pick out in the sleeping prison.

Her hand drifted to her belly where the baby was moving lazily, still safely protected inside it's mother. She collapsed onto her pillow and turned onto her back, her hand moving in a circular motion in an attempt to quiet the baby. Her mind involuntarily recalled the images from her dream.

Labour.

Boiler room.

Blood.

Walkers.

Maggie- cutting her open.

Carl.

Blood.

She'd died.

The recollection shook her deeply and she tried to push the thoughts out of her head so she could go back to sleep and forget all about it, but the emotions from the dream kept creeping up. The sound of Carl crying.

She felt her body tighten and she knew she couldn't lie there anymore. She needed to do something to settle her nerves and the anxiety that was growing in the pit of her stomach. She used the bars of the top bunk to pull herself to her feet and quickly checked to make sure that Carol was still asleep.

The other woman was curled up facing the wall, snoring lightly. Lori reached up to fix her friend's blanket before slipping out of the room, her bare feet padding on the exposed concrete. Her hand found her lower back and she arched it to stretch out the aching muscles and the tension.

Daryl's bed was empty; he had probably gone out to do a sweep of the fences. She made her way towards the perch, but paused in front of Carl's cell. She peered into the darkness and spotted one long arm draped over the edge of the top bunk. Slipping inside she stopped beside the bed where she found herself at eye-level with her son. He was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling slowly, one hand curled up under his chin. Tentatively reached up and stroked the smooth skin on his cheek, her fingers tracing a constellation of freckles.

The memory of her nightmare rushed her, making her gasp. He was hugging her, his fists wound around the fabric of her shirt as he cried into her chest.

Her own tears welled up and she sniffled. She didn't want to leave him.

Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving him alone in this world- hurting him that way. She knew it was a dream, but it felt so real, as though she was grieving something that hadn't happened at all.

Lori moved quickly out of the room so that she wouldn't wake Carl. She crossed her arms and wrapped them around herself protectively, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Her heart felt like someone had wrapped a fist around it and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

She needed some air.

She made her way down the stairs slowly, nervous about negotiating them in the dark when she couldn't see her feet anymore. The cement was a little bit cold when she reached the bottom and she hesitated before stepping down onto it fully. Lori considered going back up to her cell to get some shoes, but the truth was that her hips and back were killing her. The thought of climbing all the way back upstairs made her cringe so she abandoned the idea and made her way towards the door.

Lori paused beside the mattress on the floor that her husband had been using as a bed. Her mind flashed back to the conversation they had had the day before out on the catwalk. She moved her cheek to her shoulder as she had done that day and tried to recall the feeling of his touch. Her tears soaked into the soft fabric of her shirt and she sniffled again.

"Lori?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, still on edge from her nightmare.

"Jesus, Lori- what are you doing?" Rick pushed himself up into a sitting position, bracing himself with his arms. "Is it the baby?"

Lori shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She was still sniffling and she went back to hugging herself, cold despite the hot Georgia summer air. He was sitting there, peering at her through the dark and she realized that he was waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath. "No," she declared. "I just- I had a bad dream." Her voice waivered.

"A dream…" Rick said incredulously. He reached up to push his hand through his hair and he blew out a long breath of air.

Lori felt heat rush to her cheeks and she felt ridiculous and embarrassed for having woken him at all. "I'm going to go back to my cell," she paused mid-turn. "I'm sorry, Rick," she apologized, starting to head back towards the stairs.

"Lori," he called her name, causing her to freeze. "Come."

At first she was shocked by his order, and then confused about what he meant. But when she turned around to see him shift over on the bed and lift the sheet she understood. Relief flooded her body and she nodded, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. She was so grateful to this man for his good heart.

Her belly made it awkward for her to get to the floor and Rick reached out to steady her. His arm guided her onto the mattress and she laid down with her back to him, barely making contact. "I won't stay long, I just-,"

Rick shushed her and arranged himself so that he was spooning her from behind, one arm under her head, the other wrapped around her middle. He pressed a kiss to her ear and then another to her shoulder.

"Thank you," Lori whispered, closing her eyes. A feeling of warmth and being safe drifted over her. It had been so long since she had felt this way.

She was answered by the sound of his even breathing as he had already fallen back to sleep. She wondered if he felt the same way.


End file.
